Daniels expects smooth transition to Hopkins | Interactive timeline

It's not every day the university president stops you to chat about your plans for the night, but students at Johns Hopkins University hope to experience just that as current Penn Provost Ron Daniels takes the helm after three-and-a-half years at Penn.

On March 2, Daniels will officially succeed current Hopkins President Bill Brody, who after a 12-year term will become president of the Salk Institute.

Daniels has spent one day a week at Hopkins for the past several weeks to develop a sense of student life by touring campus and speaking with administrators, deans and students. On his most recent trip this Monday, he visited several sororities setting up for rush events and witnessed surgery at Hopkins' medical center.

"At Hopkins, there's a view that undergrads are neglected a little and that Brody wasn't really connected with the campus," said junior class President Marc Perkins, adding that he hopes Daniels will pay more attention to improving undergraduates' quality of life and listen to their concerns.

Perkins compared Daniels' academics-focused background as a provost to that of the more business-oriented Brody, who co-founded three companies before concentrating his efforts on strengthening research and fundraising during his tenure at Hopkins.

"Brody's directives weren't focused on the undergraduate experience so much as the overall academic experience," said Student Council President Prasanna Chandrasekhar.

Jerry Schnydman, Brody's executive assistant and secretary of Hopkins' Board of Trustees, described Daniels as "more outgoing" but said both leaders "think very similarly."

"He's from California; I'm from Canada - that explains everything," joked Daniels.

Schnydman said the mid-year move is a benefit because Daniels will have a chance to "digest everything" over the summer.

Though Daniels said he was struck by similarities between Penn and Hopkins, faculty and students at his new destination exemplified clear differences ranging from Hopkin's larger emphasis on research to the popularity of lacrosse on its campus.

In terms of impact on Penn, Daniels said he expects a seamless transition to a new provost. "If not for the articles in [The Daily Pennsylvanian], it might almost be unnoticeable."

In moving up from provost to president, Daniels will also tackle a different, larger set of responsibilities, including key financial decisions. That role is particularly important to Hopkins' fundraising-heavy nature, and those at the school are anxious to see whether Daniels will be as successful as Brody in keeping the ball rolling in the current economy. Hopkins recently completed a $3.74-billion fundraising campaign.

"Understanding strategies to cut costs and generate revenue is a fundamental challenge because so much of what you want to do to strengthen a university ultimately depends on your resources," Daniels said.

"He was hired because we think he has a brilliant mind, is a great leader and appreciates the centralized nature of Hopkins," Schnydman said.

Hopkins Dean of Undergraduate Education Paula Burger expressed enthusiasm about "fresh eyes" examining campus culture and spending habits.

Daniels' biggest challenge, according to Hopkins Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell, will be to understand that Hopkins is made up of very different, independent schools, and perhaps to unify them.

Schnydman agreed, adding, "The overarching goal is to create this sense of one Hopkins, as opposed to people thinking, that's a great medical school or a great hospital."

"Hopkins is different from Penn in that it's a bit lacking in a strong campus identity," Perkins said. "There's a feeling Daniels will foster that."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.